Cantinflas is a biopic and tribute to one of Mexico's most iconic entertainment personalities of the 20th century. For those not familiar with Mario Moreno's perpetual theater and screen persona, let us avoid comparisons and simply present him as follows: the country of Mexico has a rich indigenous tradition, it has it's colonial period followed by the revered fathers of liberty, and then it has Cantinflas – in the running for the top spot of contemporary historical significance among a few others. His films are stuff of binge addiction on long weekends and it's safe to state he has a status of saint by some of his fans.
With this back history, anyone who dared to bring the two, the persona and the creator, to the big screen would need to have a strong will and set of two firmly planted – to make use of a common Spanish colloquial phrase.
The target audience is obvious; fans and those familiar with Cantinflas while appealing to the general audience. To fans, there are no surprises or explosive revealing secrets. Overall the text is a positive portrait that allows for some connection with Mario Moreno. It won't come as a shock that Mr. Moreno developed into a shrewd impresario who learned to market and maintain Cantinflas in the vernacular for decades and beyond his death. Revealing the womanizing phase of his career works to show a person rough around the edges and a human who wasn't beyond reproach – in other words not Cantinflas-like.
Stylistically, the story is told in a whimsical and fairly fast pace of intertwining narratives between Cantiflas the persona and Mario Moreno the creator. With little breathing room, moviegoers are treated briefly to some of the most memorable scenes in Mr. Moreno's filmography. Like with other historical and entertainment figures, viewers' collective memories and personal stories will make for a magical movie experience surely evoking happy laughter and a tear or two. The fun sets in the second the opening and historically marking montage ends and never lets up. Be sure to stay until the house lights come on, you won't regret it.
Cantinflas is also about the craft of filmmaking. It's always interesting to watch the film process portrayed within a text. Director Sebastian del Amo uses homage in a not so subtle way. In Cold Blood by Richard Brooks and Citizen Cane by Orson Welles moments are clearly depicted but the most poignant statement is the ever present artistic vs commercial or formulaic movie making argument that can become esoteric at times. We learn that at some point, authorship was paramount to Mr. Moreno. As this goes on, a foretelling tie to Hollywood builds and serves as the triumphant marker. Fans obviously know Cantinflas did not stay in Hollywood.
As for the casting, Óscar Jaenada (The Limits of Control and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), knocks it out of the park. His impersonations of Cantinflas are superb and certainly had this viewer reacting at every turn. Purist may not accept Jaenada in the role but he's a proved actor and not just an impersonator. The cast is international and the well done production serves to prove that cinema has no boundaries.
Conclusion: A must watch on the big screen. It won't be the same on DVD simply because the collective experience won't be there. A bilingual but mostly Spanish language film with subtitles as needed. Family safe and fun to watch!
With this back history, anyone who dared to bring the two, the persona and the creator, to the big screen would need to have a strong will and set of two firmly planted – to make use of a common Spanish colloquial phrase.
The target audience is obvious; fans and those familiar with Cantinflas while appealing to the general audience. To fans, there are no surprises or explosive revealing secrets. Overall the text is a positive portrait that allows for some connection with Mario Moreno. It won't come as a shock that Mr. Moreno developed into a shrewd impresario who learned to market and maintain Cantinflas in the vernacular for decades and beyond his death. Revealing the womanizing phase of his career works to show a person rough around the edges and a human who wasn't beyond reproach – in other words not Cantinflas-like.
Stylistically, the story is told in a whimsical and fairly fast pace of intertwining narratives between Cantiflas the persona and Mario Moreno the creator. With little breathing room, moviegoers are treated briefly to some of the most memorable scenes in Mr. Moreno's filmography. Like with other historical and entertainment figures, viewers' collective memories and personal stories will make for a magical movie experience surely evoking happy laughter and a tear or two. The fun sets in the second the opening and historically marking montage ends and never lets up. Be sure to stay until the house lights come on, you won't regret it.
Cantinflas is also about the craft of filmmaking. It's always interesting to watch the film process portrayed within a text. Director Sebastian del Amo uses homage in a not so subtle way. In Cold Blood by Richard Brooks and Citizen Cane by Orson Welles moments are clearly depicted but the most poignant statement is the ever present artistic vs commercial or formulaic movie making argument that can become esoteric at times. We learn that at some point, authorship was paramount to Mr. Moreno. As this goes on, a foretelling tie to Hollywood builds and serves as the triumphant marker. Fans obviously know Cantinflas did not stay in Hollywood.
As for the casting, Óscar Jaenada (The Limits of Control and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), knocks it out of the park. His impersonations of Cantinflas are superb and certainly had this viewer reacting at every turn. Purist may not accept Jaenada in the role but he's a proved actor and not just an impersonator. The cast is international and the well done production serves to prove that cinema has no boundaries.
Conclusion: A must watch on the big screen. It won't be the same on DVD simply because the collective experience won't be there. A bilingual but mostly Spanish language film with subtitles as needed. Family safe and fun to watch!